Las Vegas accident facility donates repairs to school band fans

A Las Vegas collision repair shop responded when they discovered that a local high school marching band trailer had been stolen and later left unmolested under a bridge in the city.

Ozzie Arias, BRC trainer and regional transit manager, said he only learned about the incident on the news.

Faith Lutheran High School is a client of the facility, Arias said.

“I thought, ‘Wow, this is terrible,'” Arias said. “I thought, ‘We can fix this for her.'”

Arias said he purchased the 50,000-square-foot facility, which specializes in coaches, buses, tractors, trailers and recreational vehicles, about three years ago.

“I bought the store in a run-down state,” Arias said. “There were no customers, no employees.”

The last three years have been spent restructuring the business and working towards profitability, he said.

As a local business, the goal has always been to give back to the community, he said. He said this is his first opportunity to be in a place where he can help.

A school spokesperson told Fox 5 Vegas that the trailer itself is worth $20,000, while other contents in the vehicle are worth up to $25,000.

“The students are heartbroken and angry about this. They all feel hurt,” the spokesman told the news channel.

Band director Dan Zeigner also said that students used the trailer as a place to eat together and celebrate successes.

Arias said he arranged for the trailer to be towed to the shop and inspected. He said the damage was extensive.

The vehicle had to be disassembled and completely rebuilt. The shop also decided to paint the trailer instead of wrapping it, he said.

In total, he estimated that his team spent more than 200 hours working on the vehicle over several months. The cost is likely to be around $12,000, he said.

“They came by and were overjoyed,” Arias said. “They couldn’t believe it was the same trailer.”

Zeigner told FOX 5 Vegas they are grateful to the facility that helped repair the trailer.

“From the pictures we’ve seen – from damaged sidewalls, torn foil, no tires, no wheels – to this beautiful trailer… This surpasses anything we could have ever imagined coming back to us,” Zeigner told the news station.

Arias said that once his business is more established, he wants to give back more to the community.

“When you’re a successful company, you want to give back to the community,” Arias said. “We’re still working on that.”

PICTURES

Supporters of the Faith Lutheran High School band after repairs by BRC Coach and Transit in Las Vegas/BRC Coach and Transit.

Share this:

Related